


The Passage of Time

by Monisse



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23050747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monisse/pseuds/Monisse
Summary: Jo’s most precious possession is a watch that reminds her of Mrs. Schmidt and that she is not alone in this cruel world. Now it’s broken and lost, but luckily there is someone else around to fix that.
Relationships: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	The Passage of Time

When the lights finally turned on she found herself alone at the loft, as expected, since Alex would only arrive much later that night. The prospect of solitude did not bother her this time, for her muscles ached so badly that all she desired was to fall flat on the bed and slip into a dreamless sleep. Jo moved towards the kitchen table and dropped her purse unceremoniously on it. A gleam caught the corner of her eye and Jo pulled her wrist closer to inspect it. There was a sudden gasp cutting through the silence in the loft as she saw that the face of her watch was cracked in half, and the hands had stopped moving altogether. She remembered hitting her wrist earlier against one of the hospital beds, and yet had not realized then it had been forceful enough to cause damage. Her fingers brushed softly against the broken glass and it immediately made her remember that one person that had shown Jo some semblance of motherly love, the one that had given her such precious gift. Mrs. Schmidt. The thought of her favorite teacher brought a small smile to her face, despite the sight of the broken watch.

Mrs. Schmidt had been a relentlessly kind and caring presence in the hardest of times, and those had been plenty ever since she started living in a car. Even still, her teacher had particularly been there at times when she thought no one would. Jo remembered graduation day, after years of grueling study to have a real shot at a better life. That day she had been surrounded by her peers with families cheering so loud it was deafening to her ears. And among all that noise, no one seemed to call her name. No one cheered for Brooke. Hives had settled across her back beneath the short black dress she had bought to look presentable, and anxiety had built in the pit of her stomach as she took each deliberate step to accept the diploma. It was then that, among the commotion, her name came loud and clear. And when she looked towards the crowd and saw her, Mrs. Schmidt, with a wide smile and enthusiastically cheering her on, all she could do was smile even wider. Many years had passed since that moment, but she still remembered her throat constricting with the urge to cry, and the pure sensation of not being alone in the world.

A few years later, there was Mrs. Schmidt, sitting across from her while pouring two steamy cups of mint tea. If the nerves had not been taking over her entire body in that moment, she might have been tempted to smile and finally say, after all those years, that she does not like tea. Nonetheless, she would always entertain a cup just for the sake of her favorite teacher. She fidgeted in her seat, constantly looking over her shoulder towards the window. Even then, days after she had left her husband, and with a few miles between them, she felt he was not that far behind yet. She felt that at any moment he would caught up with her to finish what he had started that night when he beat her close to death. That had finally been the catalyst to make her realize that the love for her own life should surpass the love she felt for him.

Since she did not know what else to do, running away had seemed the most viable option. And run she did, as fast as she could. Her body was still painfully bruised with a myriad of reds, blues and purples, and the broken ribs were still healing, but she found solace again in the same place she always had, Mrs. Schmidt’s home. Outside the house, her car had been once more packed full with her meager belongings. Unconsciously, she never allowed herself to accumulate unnecessary stuff, as if she instinctively knew that at any given time she would have to be ready to pack her life and run away. The unfortunate part was that since she married she had thought those days were far behind.

Her former teacher’s house had been the last stop before she left that illusion of a happy life behind. She did not have the courage yet, nor the emotional energy, to tell Mrs. Schmidt she had changed her name. Josephine Wilson, she had chosen. So, while picking at her nails, she resorted to minimal explanations about her decision, but instead elaborated more on moving to Seattle, alone, for an intern job. Her dream job was just across the country, with as many miles between her and him that she could possibly afford without completely losing the focus on her personal goals. There had been no surprise in Mrs. Schmidt’s face, as if somehow, she had been expecting all along for her former student to finally realize what she had been warning her about. At that table, separated by two cups of tea, she had then lowered her head in shame, even though she knew better not to carry the guilt. With a strong squeeze of her hands and no further questions, Mrs. Schmidt left the table only to return a few minutes later.

All of a sudden, a small box, wrapped in the loveliest paper she had ever seen, was trusted onto her hands. Mrs. Schmidt looked at her expectantly, smiling brightly. She had barely any experience in receiving gifts and all she had wanted to do was to look at the perfect wrapping paper, bright red, and appreciate the gold string delicately enveloping it. It seemed already enough.

“Well, open it.” Mrs. Schmidt had said as an incentive.

Hesitantly, she pulled the bow with precise movements, one string at a time for fear of tearing the paper. When she opened the box, the item inside immediately caught the light of the mid-day sun that rushed through the window. Inside the box was what looked like a very expensive watch. For a while her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. None had occurred to her.

"Ever since you called to tell me about the job, I have been thinking you might need it as a new intern.” Mrs. Schmidt offered against her shocked silence. “Doctors always need to measure the passage of time.”

“This is too much Mrs. Schmidt. I can’t accept it!”

“Of course you can! Besides, you could use some help to keep yourself running on time…“ It had unexpectedly made her laugh a little at the obvious tease on her constant battle to always be on time and often failing miserably.

"It looks so expensive…” She had whispered, not quite capable of taking her eyes from the marvelous object in her hands.

“Don’t worry about it.” Mrs. Schmidt had said, casually ending the argument. Mrs. Schmidt took the watch out of the box then and closed it safely around her right wrist.

She had turned the wrist slowly, admiring the way in which the light reflected on the silver bracelet and the soft ticking cadence of time.

Shortly after, Mrs. Schmidt had pulled her into a tight embrace, making her breath hitch with the flare of pain that spread across her bruised body. Nonetheless, the tears that burst out of her eyes and fell freely onto her cheeks were not produced by physical agony, but from a deep emotional pain, one she had refused to dwell in up until that moment. She wrapped her arms around Mrs. Schmidt as well, allowing herself go get soaked in the pride that her former teacher exuded towards her in that hug. Those still remained the closest to a mother’s warm embrace she ever had. She embraced Mrs. Schmidt just as tightly, relying on the overwhelming sensation that she would not come back for a while, maybe ever.

Jo sighed softly at the memories and turned the wrist slowly, admiring the way in which the light still reflected on the silver bracelet, but otherwise the watch remained silent. That watch had gone through hell and back with her, always being a comforting reminder that there was someone in that vast, cruel world, that truly cared for her. It was slightly scratched around the edges, much like her, but had remained resilient through the ups and downs of her life. Now the watch was broken and silent, and Jo was not sure if there would be a way to salvage it.

The silence was starting to bother her, so Jo took the watch off her wrist and laid it carefully on the table. With a sad sigh she brushed her fingers one last time through the glass. The watch was attached to deeply rooted memories and a heavy pain settled on her chest at the thought of letting it go, not having that constant comfort of Mrs. Schmidt anymore. 

Jo brushed the beginning of tears from her eyes and with a long, defeated sigh, turned away and crawled onto bed, already too exhausted to fight sleep any longer.

The next morning, she busied herself around the loft, preparing for another long day of work. Her routine was often the same, shower, clothes, breakfast, large cup of coffee, and right before stepping out of the loft, putting on her watch. Absentminded, Jo reached for the watch she had left at the table the previous night. However, her hand touched only the wood surface. Jo was sure she had left it there, but perhaps Alex had moved it away before leaving for the hospital himself earlier. Already feeling she was running late, but without having the means to measure it, Jo reluctantly left the loft. All day her hand kept traveling towards the wrist to fiddle with a watch that was not there. After years of that constant presence, she felt somewhat vulnerable without it.

Two days later, Alex came home to a very chaotic loft. There were pillows across the floor, books and clothes were scattered everywhere and among the mess he found Jo on her knees, cheek glued to the floor peeking below the couch. From where he stood Alex could distinctly hear Jo mumbling closer and closer to the edge of frustration.

“What are you doing?" His deep voice suddenly disrupted her thoughts.

She jumped in fright and immediately hit her head in the end table closer to the couch. "I’m trying to find my watch.” She said with a frown on her face while rubbing the side of her head. “I could swear I left it on the table about two nights ago.”

Jo turned towards him, but otherwise remained sitting on the floor among the scattered pieces of their life together, looking as lost as her watch.

“It stopped working…“ Jo said in a small voice with a hint of tears in those clear brown eyes that were piercing through his own.

“I know.” Alex said gently as he stepped closer to her. He bent slightly and offered his hand, which she took immediately to stand up.

“How do you know that?” Jo directed her irritation towards him in spite of knowing that it was an illogical reaction because he was merely caught in the aftermath of what looked like a riot through the loft.

Not wanting to prolong her anxiety, and neither shorten his life span, Alex reached to the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out the watch. He dangled it in front of him, and even though Alex was still a few steps away, Jo could already hear the familiar sound.

"I saw it on the table when I came home the other night, and since it was broken I took it with me the next morning. It took me a while to find someone willing to fix this particular kind of watch, but I think it is working pretty well again.”  
There was a tentative smile on his lips and if he did not know she was already on edge, Alex would have laughed at her stunned attempt to produce words that were too stubborn to come out.

While Jo was too busy looking at him in amazement, Alex wrapped the bracelet safely around her right wrist, the rightful place of the watch. As soon as he did so, she flew forward and collided with his chest. Her arms encircled him while her nails dug into the fabric of his shirt. Jo hid her face in that spot of his neck she loved so much and inhaled him deeply, soaking his shirt with tears.

“Thank you.” She simply said, softly.

Not many people in her life had shown her kindness, and to this day Jo still found herself amazed that people were willing to show love towards her. And with that simple gesture, he was able to calm her mind and remind her again that she was not alone in the world.


End file.
